1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates in general to assembly and interconnection of an information handling system (IHS), and more particularly to edge card connectors of an IHS.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continue to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems (IHSes). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes, thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, IHSes may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSes allow for IHSes to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSes may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
IHSs are typically designed with a printed circuit board (PCB) on which functional components are electrically and/or communicatively attached. These PCBs are in turn designed to accommodate attachment of/by one or more connectors of the functional component or card, such as an edge card connector. FIG. 1 illustrates a generally-known right angle edge card connector 100 including a female connector body 102 having a right angle mounting provided by a terminal block 104 that attaches to an edge 106 of a printed circuit board (PCB) 108. In a particular development, such an edge card connector 100 was used in a 2 U server system with four (4) half-width insertion and removable sleds. During blind insertion on the assembly line, manufacturing experienced over 30% failure rate. Top conductors 110 and bottom conductors 112 were being deformed during insertion of a second PCB 114, resulting in a poor electrical connection.
FIGS. 1-2 illustrate a generally-known lance feature 124 of the upper conductors 110 that form an interference attachment between a connector block 126 and a terminal block 128 (FIG. 1).
With continued reference to FIG. 1, an investigation was conducted into root causes of the failures during blind insertion of right angle edge card connectors 100. Design margin of pins retention feature in the connector was not enough to avoid damage against the insertion friction force created during insertion. FIG. 3 illustrates a predicted 0.70 mm rearward deformation 116 of an upper conductor 110′ that undergoes a 1.5 N force at its distal end 118. FIG. 4 illustrates a predicted 0.27 mm rearward deformation 120 of a lower conductor 112′ that undergoes a 22.5 N force at its distal end 122.
TABLE 1 lists predicted deformation as a function of force applied to a distal end of each lower conductor 112′. TABLE 2 lists predicted deformation as a function of force applied to a distal end of each upper conductor 110′.
TABLE 1Lower Row of TerminalDisplacement (mm)Force (foot-lbs)0.050.850.102.100.153.000.204.000.254.400.275.00
TABLE 2Upper Row of TerminalDisplacement (mm)Force (foot-lbs)0.10.040.20.110.30.150.40.200.50.240.60.290.70.33